


Red Ribbons of Fate

by PawsitiveStars



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, F/M, Identity Reveal, Knot your average fic, Ladybug's ribbons acting like bug antennae, Soulmates, Ta da! No surprise there, beware of all the puns oof, hehe, red string of fate theme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22808575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawsitiveStars/pseuds/PawsitiveStars
Summary: The red string of fate with a twist. Or better yet, a knot, which ties everything together.This is one red thread that will never break, magical or otherwise.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 18
Kudos: 293





	Red Ribbons of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Me posting a fic within the same month whaaat (don’t get used to it). Yet another wip that sat in my folder for a year, now completed. Thanks to all the people in my discord for putting on those writer sprints! <3

“My Lady, are the ribbon ties in your hair removable?”

“Hm?” Ladybug hummed distractedly as she continued to observe the pastel pinks and blues of the sunset. It always looks so lovely from a rooftop point of view. “Oh…I’m not sure?” she said questioningly. “I would think so.”

Chat Noir moved closer to her and began to reach out a clawed hand. “May I..?”

Shrugging, she turned her head so he could access the red ribbons. “Sure.”

With the utmost care to not scratch her head with his claws, it took Chat a minute to untie the first ribbon from its red elastic band. When it came undone, he peered down and watched as it almost seemed to curl around his palm.

Almost like antennae from a bug.

Setting it down in his lap, he put his focus onto the next red ribbon and was soon holding the two in his hands looking at them closely.

What he failed to see was Ladybug pulling the elastic bands out, which bounced onto the rooftop. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders in dark waves, free from constraint. Pleasantly satisfied, she put the bands around her wrist and fluffed her hair to work the kinks out, swishing it back to let the wind thread its fingers through it.

She sighed in pure content.

Rubbing both ribbons with the pads of his fingers, Chat noted the startling soft texture to them. “I wonder Bug,” he began, “is this supposed to represent the feelers of a ladybug?”

The spotted heroine let out a snort. “Don’t look too deep into it Chat.”

“Well I know it keeps the hair out of your face-,” he looked up and all the breath promptly left his lungs at the sight of her hair down.

As he had gone completely silent, Ladybug glanced over to see his mouth parted and bright green cat eyes wide.

“What, cat got your tongue?” she practically purred.

Chat squeaked.

This caused her to burst out laughing at his reaction, and his face to burn in embarrassment.

“A-anyway,” his voice wobbled, so he cleared his throat and swallowed hard. It was incredibly difficult to ignore the way she had become even more attractive.

 _Releasing the ribbons and bands from her hair led to my undoing,_ he realized too late.

With a quick shake of his head, Chat turned his attention back to the two narrow strips of material. 

“You know,” he started, stroking one of the ribbons tenderly, “I read on the Ladyblog recently that ladybug’s use their antennae for a lot of things like…feeling around, smelling, and tasting.” Glancing up he lowly mumbled, “…and finding their mate.”

“And also finding their prey,” Ladybug added in, completely missing his subtle implication.

He sighed, and then let out a slight chuckle. “Yeah, that too.” 

They both sat there for a few minutes more, in peaceful silence. Chat absentmindedly twirled the ribbons through his fingers, looping them around each other and bringing them apart again. He was deep in thought as he lined them up side by side, winding the one ribbon around the other twice and pulling it through the loop, then doing the same with the other ribbon, only in the opposite direction. Holding the two ends together, he was about to unravel them just like his thoughts when a spotted hand suddenly grabbed his knee.

“KITTY!!”

Chat yelped and jumped a foot in the air, startling so badly he yanked the two ribbons tightly together while his tail and ears stood straight up. His heart beat fast, and when he heard snorting, he looked over at his lady with huge eyes as she practically rolled around on the roof guffawing. 

Eventually she got control over herself. “I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly, wiping a joyful tear from her eye, “you were just so focused I couldn’t resist catching you off guard.”

Squinting his eyes in a playful glare, Chat stuck his tongue out at her in a childish manner and then sat there pouting. “Ha ha,” he deadpanned.

“It’s all in good fun,” Ladybug said, giving him a slight shove in teasing.

“At my expense.”

She grinned in response, sapphire blue eyes shimmering with mirth, then turned away to observe the few rare stars that were poking out of the now deep blue and purple skyline.

Chat watched her, his chest warming with the knowledge of being the one to sit here with her when no one else could say the same. It was something he cherished every time.

Tearing his eyes away from the wonderful sight, he looked down at his hands at the forgotten ribbons.

His breath caught.

The two ribbons were bound together, forever sealing its fate of becoming now _one_ ribbon.

He examined them in horror. His stomach was on its way to turning into a knot similar to this one.

_Uh oh!_

“Uh oh,” he whispered.

Ladybug was in the middle of fiddling with her hair when she turned to look at him curiously. “What was that Chat?”

“Ahh…” he chuckled nervously, “bow! Yeah, your hair would be pretty with bows in it.” Giving her a too wide smile, he tried to hide the damning evidence as inconspicuous as he could in between his claws.

He failed spectacularly.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Ladybug scooted over to him. “What are you..,” she trailed off then gasped.

“Chat _Noir_!”

With a sheepish wince, he held out the ribbon for her to inspect. “I’m sorry, it was an accident!”

Ladybug gave him an incredulous look before she retrieved it from his hand. “Yeah sure, so it just happened to _magically_ tie itself together.” She raised an unamused eyebrow.

Chat brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck. “Maybe now you could try a different hair style like, a braid or a ponytail?” he suggested lightheartedly.

“I suppose…” she mused, trying to unravel it but to no avail.

“Well, no matter what style you have your hair in you’ll always be beautiful to me,” he winked.

Passing off the flirty comment and gazing at him in consideration for a moment, Ladybug soon made up her mind about something. “Hey Chaton, have I ever given you a gift?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitating, “your spotted presence.”

“Smooth.”

“I know,” he preened.

She looked at the ribbon in her hand again, nodded once, then proceeded to tie it around Chat’s neck.

Inhaling sharply, Chat stiffened as he felt her fingers dance around his throat, adjusting it to make it more comfortable for him. He could feel his pulse pound against the band and secretly hoped she wouldn’t notice.

When she pulled away he looked at her, in bewilderment and shock.

“What..?” was all he managed to say.

Shrugging her shoulders, a pink blush barely peeked out along her mask. “You’ve given me a rose before so I thought it would be fair to give you something in return as friends.”

He stared at her, speechless.

She idly fiddled with her hands from his unwavering attention. “I mean…it will probably disappear when I detransform but you can wear it until then.”

Ever so slowly, a huge smile overtook Chat’s face, his eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears. “Thanks Buginette,” he said sincerely, touching the ribbon in awe that now sported a small bow.

Ladybug huffed in good humor and rolled her eyes at the nickname. “I told you to stop calling me that.”

“’It’s all in good fun,’” he quoted back to her, his pearly white teeth shining in innocence.

“You know what, no,” she made a grab at him as he swiftly dodged the incoming attack. “I want to take back my gift.”

Chat cackled as he shot to his feet. “No my Lady!” He held a hand protectively against his throat. “No take backsies.” 

“Come here you mangy cat,” she dove at him, laughing.

Jumping out of the way, Chat sprinted to the edge of the roof and glanced back at her. He gave her a mischievous smirk. “Hearing you want to take away my gift leaves a knot in my throat.”

Ladybug smacked her face in exasperation, “Oh no here we go…”

“This is my new favorite necktie; don’t you have even a thread of guilt?”

Getting out her yoyo, she spun it around whirring it to life as she stalked towards him. “Nope. Here kitty kitty.”

“Knot on my watch. Sorry Bug,” he saluted, extending his baton, “But if we go neck and neck, the outcome will most likely be a tie.”

A red and black blur shot out, spiraling inches in front of Chat’s nose. “We’ll see about that,” Ladybug said confidently, snapping her yoyo back in.

Without a second to spare, Chat turned and bounded off the roof, Ladybug hot on his heels.

Returning to school the next morning, Adrien proudly wore the ribbon around his neck, all too smug he successfully avoided Ladybug’s grasp last night.

And also extremely happy his gift didn’t disappear while he slept.

Students he passed by on his way to class glanced at him curiously but he paid them no mind. Making his way to his desk, he gave Nino their customary fist bump and plopped into his seat, bending over to search through his satchel for his school supplies.

Plagg gave him a disgusted face, pointing at his own neck then making a gagging motion.

Adrien lightly flicked him in the ear.

“So dude,” Nino started casually, “what’s with the thing tied around your neck?”

“Oh this?” he sat up and touched the ribbon reverently. “A great friend of mine gave it to me recently.”

Nino leaned over to wrap one of his fingers around the end of the bow, and watched with fascination as it seemed to slightly curl around his finger. “Huh. Must be someone special.”

Adrien sighed, love struck. “Yeah…she is.”

“I meant you dude.”

Playfully punching Nino in the arm, Adrien grinned, “Bro.”

Just then a gasp sounded in front of him. Whipping his head around, Adrien caught Marinette’s wide eyes.

With her line of sight directed onto his precious possession, wrapped up in a neat bow.

Adrien watched her in concern after a minute of her not moving. “Marinette? Are you okay?”

A finger raised to point at the ribbon as her facial expression was smeared with astonishment. “I…you…my… _thereisnoway_ ,” she squeaked as her face burned an increasingly bright pink.

Then after a few seconds, she shook her head and seemed to change her demeanor to one of confidence and determination.

“Wha-,” Adrien began as he was once again cut off by her suddenly appearing in front of him, her fingers grazing his throat. He froze, eyes wide, while he dared not to breathe with her this close.

What he couldn’t see was the ribbon wrapping around her pinkie finger, where it seemed to glow slightly redder.

“Looks like fate tied us together…” she mumbled under her breath.

Her intense blue eyes peered up into his bright green ones.

His heart raced in his chest.

In slow motion, her face morphed into one filled with glee, excitement, and mischief. Leaning down, she stopped her lips beside his ear. For some unknown reason, his body involuntarily shivered in anticipation.

“My ribbon suits you well _mon Chaton_.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, the type of knot Chat created (accidentally) was the double fisherman’s knot or the Impossible Knot
> 
> And how did Marinette know that was her ribbon? She felt unbalanced and lost without it after she detransformed (a ladybug without their antennae). But walking into the room with Adrien wearing it..? It was like a homing device xD


End file.
